ABD China changes?

[carpenta]

AS an Infectious Disease doctor I know told me "NO WAY would she set foot anywhere in China or south east Asia for a long time. This virus could be "the big one" so many scientists have been predicting to take a larger number of fatalities. I hope they start to come to their senses and refund their money.

 

[DisneyDarling216]

Well looks like all May Tours are officially cancelled, and have been removed from the site. It looks like the first trip to China is June 7th. I think Disney should be canceling all tours at least through Summer, but this is also coming from someone who is canceling their trip today before final payment is due on Friday. If this was my first experience with ABD I would be hesitant to go back with how this whole situation has been handled, and their unwillingness to be very forthcoming with any information, or decisions. However we have had some many other wonderful trips with ABD that we have already signed up for another one in 2021, and will odds are replace China with a different 2020 adventure in the fall. I hope the experience with deal with China does not turn anyone off in the future from doing other tours.

 

[sayhello]

Well looks like all May Tours are officially cancelled, and have been removed from the site. It looks like the first trip to China is June 7th. I think Disney should be canceling all tours at least through Summer, but this is also coming from someone who is canceling their trip today before final payment is due on Friday. If this was my first experience with ABD I would be hesitant to go back with how this whole situation has been handled, and their unwillingness to be very forthcoming with any information, or decisions. However we have had some many other wonderful trips with ABD that we have already signed up for another one in 2021, and will odds are replace China with a different 2020 adventure in the fall. I hope the experience with deal with China does not turn anyone off in the future from doing other tours.

I agree that ABD should be more forthcoming, but I also understand that blanket cancelling all their summer China trips is a huge decision that impacts a lot of folks, and is also huge impact to their bottom line. I imagine that somewhere, there's this hope for a resolution to the situation. Obviously, customer safety is the #1 priority, but making such a huge blanket policy is a Big Decision that they can't take back. I *KNOW* it's seriously hard for all of those booked for these trips, but we have to remember, ABD *is* a business, and they are probably trying to figure out how to minimize the losses from this. Because it's not only the loss of income; it's all the deposits, etc, paid & owed to their providers. All of the tourism companies (tours, guides, airlines, hotels, etc) are taking a huge hit from this. I know, I know, easy for me to speak, but I agree with you that folks should not be turned off to ABD based on how such a hard situation is being handled. Ultimately, I have faith ABD *will* make the right decisions. It's just too bad they aren't making them in a way that minimizes the impact and anxiety to those booked on these Asian trips.

Sayhello

 

[lovetotravel]

In addition to China, I am worried for other Asia trips including SE Asia and Japan. Who knows where it spreads by summer, or it could also be leveling off or decrease. My concern is that I have SE Asia tour but my flight is through China.

 

[Theta]

In addition to China, I am worried for other Asia trips including SE Asia and Japan. Who knows where it spreads by summer, or it could also be leveling off or decrease. My concern is that I have SE Asia tour but my flight is through China.

I agree!! We are paid in full for our June Japan trip and, frankly, I am pretty scared right now. The overnight developments from the Diamond Princess sound pretty ominous. Another 99 passengers diagnosed with the virus, in just one day!

Another data point is a cluster of new cases in Japan involving taxi drivers. A sudden spike in new coronavirus cases in Japan was confirmed among attendees at a New Year's party for independent taxi drivers held on a traditional "yakatabune" river tour boat in the capital. The frightening thing about this is the incubation period of almost a month! Jan. 18th to Feb. 16th.


Hopefully Disney will do the right thing with all the Asian ABDs. As @1brooklynfamily said, no way I would want to bring back the virus to my community.

 

[Sakura1017]

I really hope they notify people in advance before full payment is due. I think that will minimize stress and compensation because we wouldnt have to apply to visa's and purchasing airfare.

It will be interesting for when the olympics start in Japan and see if the virus spreads more in other countries.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Well looks like all May Tours are officially cancelled, and have been removed from the site. It looks like the first trip to China is June 7th. I think Disney should be canceling all tours at least through Summer, but this is also coming from someone who is canceling their trip today before final payment is due on Friday. If this was my first experience with ABD I would be hesitant to go back with how this whole situation has been handled, and their unwillingness to be very forthcoming with any information, or decisions. However we have had some many other wonderful trips with ABD that we have already signed up for another one in 2021, and will odds are replace China with a different 2020 adventure in the fall. I hope the experience with deal with China does not turn anyone off in the future from doing other tours.

I agree. I think they waited way too long to cancel the May trips. From everything that has been reported, it was clear this was not going to go away quickly. Re the summer trips, I think they should give people the option of cancelling without losing a deposit if they don't want to cancel those trips now. To make people wait is not okay. And I can totally see where you are coming from--if this were my first trip I would never go on another ABD after how this was handled.

I feel so badly for all of you guys with trips in Asia this summer. It's going to be a tough decision if this thing continues to spread. I know how much planning and excitement goes into trips like this, and it's a bummer to have uncertainty hanging over your heads.

 

[DisneyDarling216]

I really hope they notify people in advance before full payment is due. I think that will minimize stress and compensation because we wouldnt have to apply to visa's and purchasing airfare.

It will be interesting for when the olympics start in Japan and see if the virus spreads more in other countries.

I really wish they were telling us before Final Payment. Our final payment for the June Trip is due on Thursday, and based on all the conversations I've had with Disney they are basically unwilling to do anything. We will be canceling the trip, and filing an insurance claim and hoping we can get our money back. We have someone traveling with a pre-existing condition, who has been advised by his doctor not to travel to china for the next year and Kevin has advise to file our claim that way. We were really looking forward to the trip, and it is a very hard choice to make, but I would rather stay healthy and go somewhere else (we will probably end up on a river cruise) then have a headline read, "American dies on Disney Tour from Virus."

They have really left a lot of people in terrible spots, and as much as I understand this being a business, it is also a business that depends on repeat customers, and there aren't a ton of people who can afford these kinds of trips multiple times in their lives, so why would you leave such a bad taste in multiple people's mouths. Not like they are going to change anything at this point!

 

[1brooklynfamily]

I would not plan a trip at this point if it were my family, if you do, buy the 'cancel for any reason' insurance. Our trip to SE Asia is in 24 days and I would give anything to get out of it. The cruise ship nightmares in the news this week underscore what a chaotic mess this is -- countries refusing entry, families being separated into different quarantine centers. We would have *five* border crossings on our trip. What are the odds all of those will go smoothly? I just want to go another time when things aren't crazy. I have said I would let them hold on to the money for another trip. I don't even have to have it back right now.

 

[Sakura1017]

I would not plan a trip at this point if it were my family, if you do, buy the 'cancel for any reason' insurance. Our trip to SE Asia is in 24 days and I would give anything to get out of it. The cruise ship nightmares in the news this week underscore what a chaotic mess this is -- countries refusing entry, families being separated into different quarantine centers. We would have *five* border crossings on our trip. What are the odds all of those will go smoothly? I just want to go another time when things aren't crazy. I have said I would let them hold on to the money for another trip. I don't even have to have it back right now.

Make sure you dont buy disney's insurance policy for cancel any reason since its a voucher that needs to be used within a year. This would have been my first ABD with China, but I do have a river cruise for the wish excursion for 2021. So Im probably not going to plan any other ABD adventures at the moment since Im not sure how they are gonna handle the fall trips to China.

 

[neurosx1983]

I really wish they were telling us before Final Payment. Our final payment for the June Trip is due on Thursday, and based on all the conversations I've had with Disney they are basically unwilling to do anything. We will be canceling the trip, and filing an insurance claim and hoping we can get our money back. We have someone traveling with a pre-existing condition, who has been advised by his doctor not to travel to china for the next year and Kevin has advise to file our claim that way. We were really looking forward to the trip, and it is a very hard choice to make, but I would rather stay healthy and go somewhere else (we will probably end up on a river cruise) then have a headline read, "American dies on Disney Tour from Virus."

They have really left a lot of people in terrible spots, and as much as I understand this being a business, it is also a business that depends on repeat customers, and there aren't a ton of people who can afford these kinds of trips multiple times in their lives, so why would you leave such a bad taste in multiple people's mouths. Not like they are going to change anything at this point!

Its obvious that no one should be traveling to China for the next several months, but the better question is what is going to happen with this trip in the future? ABD China seems like a wonderful itinerary...I can't wait to do it when things have resolved, but who knows when that will be. It will be interesting to see what they do with their dates when 2021-22 dates come out.

 

[DisneyDarling216]

Its obvious that no one should be traveling to China for the next several months, but the better question is what is going to happen with this trip in the future? ABD China seems like a wonderful itinerary...I can't wait to do it when things have resolved, but who knows when that will be. It will be interesting to see what they do with their dates when 2021-22 dates come out.

I am very interested to see what ABD does with this trip for next year, as there are some concerns that the virus may die off, similar to the Flu over the summer, but then will return in the fall. Maybe by then there will be a a treatment plan, or a shot that will be ready, similar to the flu. I wonder how this will effect all of the Asia trips for next year, as the problem is also prevalent in Japan. My family was so excited about doing both China and Japan, however right now we are saying it will be at least 2 years before we attempt to go over there again. I am wondering if they will just reduce the number of dates they are offering for the next couple of years or announce a suspension of the trips, at least through early next year to see what happens over the winter. I could also see them waiting to announce 2021-2022 dates until later then their other trips to see what happens through the beginning of summer. Regardless, I hope that this gets resolved and that travel can start to resume, as that's a part of the world I would love to go and see.

 

[RSM]

It will be interesting to see how Japan handles the Olympics this summer. I think they start in late July in Japan.

 

[Sakura1017]

I am very interested to see what ABD does with this trip for next year, as there are some concerns that the virus may die off, similar to the Flu over the summer, but then will return in the fall. Maybe by then there will be a a treatment plan, or a shot that will be ready, similar to the flu. I wonder how this will effect all of the Asia trips for next year, as the problem is also prevalent in Japan. My family was so excited about doing both China and Japan, however right now we are saying it will be at least 2 years before we attempt to go over there again. I am wondering if they will just reduce the number of dates they are offering for the next couple of years or announce a suspension of the trips, at least through early next year to see what happens over the winter. I could also see them waiting to announce 2021-2022 dates until later then their other trips to see what happens through the beginning of summer. Regardless, I hope that this gets resolved and that travel can start to resume, as that's a part of the world I would love to go and see.

I also will probably wait another 2 years as well to see how this plays out before trying to make a trip to China. Maybe they should add more dates to the other countries and avoid Asia, or add on dates a little bit at a time.

 

[Calfan]

We are still holding steady for our mid-June Japan trip. Thomson just reached out to see if we wanted a Go Pro Hero camera or digital picture frame for our early booking gift, so they are certainly acting like our trip is a go. I did ask our TA to check in with them as to whether they are thinking of canceling any trips due to the corona virus, but at this point I'm still planning to PIF in early March.

 

[aggiedog]

We have a trip planned to Japan for this coming Christmas. I feel alarmist worrying about coronavirus that far out, but at the same time, we need to start thinking about plane tickets, etc. We're holding steady for now.

 

[DisneyDarling216]

Right now it looks like only the China trips are being modified by ABD for the Virus, so the Southeast Asia trips as well as Japan appear to not have been effected, or at least nobody has said anything about them being cancelled, and when I check the site I have yet to see any dates, or large amounts of dates drop off, like what we have seen with China. I think had we stayed with Japan we would have assumed that we were still going, however with China including so many inter-country flights, and seeing some of the images coming out of China (Yes I know it isn't good to spread panic but I also don't want to end up sprayed with random chemicals my whole trip) I think we made the right choice by going to Europe instead!

 

[carpenta]

In the news today a Texas company along with AI May have a new vaccine. Who knows???

 

[sayhello]

A coworker of mine, who was supposed to be cruising with his family and in-laws next week had to cancel, because his in-laws, who are Chinese nationals, have been banned by the cruiseline from boarding the ship. They haven't been to China recently; they are here, staying at his house, but just because they are Chinese nationals. Wowza! *THAT* feels like an over-reaction!!

Sayhello

 

[dolewhipdreams]

A coworker of mine, who was supposed to be cruising with his family and in-laws next week had to cancel, because his in-laws, who are Chinese nationals, have been banned by the cruiseline from boarding the ship. They haven't been to China recently; they are here, staying at his house, but just because they are Chinese nationals. Wowza! *THAT* feels like an over-reaction!!

Sayhello

Wow, that is very extreme. If they hadn't been to China in a while they're no more likely to have it then your coworker!